Last week Lydia invited me to come by for a business story and document her creating a few pieces for her ink and gold collections. We discussed what inspires her as an artists and what motivates her to create new and unique pieces. Her space is filled with objects that are inspirational, sentimental, and beautiful. With the beautiful sunlight streaming in it easy to see why she loves to create in this space.
“This collection of work began with a group of well-used pens and some old photographs. It developed over the course of 2 years through new experiences and thrilling adventures. The ink collection focuses on exposing the details of everyday sightings and objects. Whether it was through hiking in Yosemite, walking along sandy beaches, or countless midnight drives home, I experienced the Lord’s incredible love for detail which I attempted to reveal through these drawings. While you view each sketch, take notice of every pen stroke. Imagine each detail come to life. And experience my world with me.”
As I watched her drawing take form one stroke at a time I was drawn in by the detail of each petal. Even though the flowers on her desk are beginning to whither, she uses them to create a sketch that is alive and restored to it’s original beauty.
After she finished the piece for her ink collection, she completely another canvas painting then headed outside to demonstrate how she creates pieces for her gold collection. Unlike the ink collection, the gold collection is whimsical and abstract. She splashes and sprays the paint, shakes the canvas and gets her hands messy. Although each piece is unique, and no two pieces are alike, she has a vision for how she wants the colors to mix and separate.
“This collection began as an experiment. An experiment to see how oil and acrylic paint would mix. The experiment quickly turned into discovery, and discovery brought forth a beautiful result. The Gold All Awash collection uniquely challenges the simple rules placed before artists and creators alike. Using modern colors and hues, it exposes the beauty that can be created through discovery and curiosity. As you view these paintings, observe how the oil and water interact to create a single thought-provoking image.”
Walking back and forth between the paintings, carefully eyeing the way the colors were placed, she moves her hair out of her face smearing even more paint without even knowing it. She tells me that one of the reasons why she likes to create outside is because nature sometimes will jump into her pieces, whether it is a piece of grass or a tiny bug. These little details that others may not notice bring such a unique and playful quality to her work, mirroring her own personality.
Lydia Abigail, the artist featured in this business story, will be one of our featured artists at Hachie Holidays on November 12-13th at the Cotton Gin in historic downtown Waxahachie. To see more of her work and purchase pieces please visit her website www.LydiaAbigailArtwork.com.